


Ripples

by rrrproetoel



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/F, F/M, Ripple Effect, pre-sozin's comet au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-19
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-04-04 11:34:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14019369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rrrproetoel/pseuds/rrrproetoel
Summary: "Ripple Effect - the continuing and spreading results of an event or action."Sometimes it only takes a single event to change everything. Ursa has managed to flee with Zuko. Azula gets caught in the ripples and Iroh desperately tries to keep her from drowning.





	1. Never Forget Who You Are

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or its characters.

.

"Sweetheart, wake up. We need to leave."

Zuko's head bobbed slightly as his mother sat him upright.

"Huh?" He was confused. "Leave where?"

"Home, sweetie. There you will meet my family too." Ursa smiled reassuringly, packing a few things in his room. They needed to hurry.

"What about dad?" He groggily got out from under the covers and rubbed his eyes. Why were they leaving?

"Your father is a bad man, Zuko. That's why we are leaving." She handed him a cloak.

"What about Azula?"

"She's coming too, we just need to go get her. We must hurry, Zuko." Ursa quickly tied Zuko's cloak for him before handing him a small bag. They wouldn't need much in her home village.

Zuko and Ursa snuck towards Azula's room, trying to avoid as many guards as possible. The sleepy boy almost knocked over a few things here and there, but they eventually managed to make it to the princess' room.

"Honey, come in the room. We don't want any guards to catch you." Zuko nodded and listened to his mother. He watched her as she crept closer to Azula's bed. His heart was beating faster than it ever had his whole life. What if Azula attacked? What if-

Footsteps echoed through the hall.

"I saw two figures go into your daughter's room, Prince Ozai."

"Then I will deal with the offenders personally. Matters of the Royal Family are to be handled by me."

The footsteps were getting closer and closer until the voices were right outside the door. Ursa still hadn't managed to rouse her daughter. The princess looked down at her daughter regretfully and bent down to give Azula a small kiss on the forehead. Quickly, she grabbed Zuko's hand and crept out the window as the door began to creak.

Azula blinked the sleep from her eyes and sat up as Ozai and an unimportant guard entered her room. Well, this was odd. What could have father in such a fit that he would enter her room at these hours?

"Azula," Ozai's voice filled her ears. It had an edge to it that she couldn't quite place. "Is there anyone else in here?"

"No, father."

Deciding now was the best time to act innocent, she looked up at Ozai and mustered the best polar bear pup eyes she could.

"Who are you looking for? Was I in danger?"

"It seems that your treacherous mother has fled the palace with Zuko." Ozai's voice grew sharper and a sneer graced his lips. "I was concerned that she would try to take you as well. She's always valued weakness over strength."

Did mom really love Zuko more than her?

"Remember Azula," her father began "you are strong and powerful. You are my daughter. Weakness, such as Zuko and your mother's, will never be tolerated. Do you understand?"

She nodded and Ozai stared her down.

"Never forget who you are, Azula."

He turned with a grand flap of his robes as the guards rushed to shut her door.

Azula was left alone in darkness.

.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Please review and tell me what you think so I know whether or not to continue this story.


	2. The Journey Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or its characters.

Ursa rushed through the alleys of the capital, trying to avoid everyone and everything. The ship was waiting at the docks. They were so close. Her heart was racing. If they were caught, Ozai would... He would... She didn't even want to think about it. The streets were dark. No one was awake at this hour. No, that would be on a normal night. Tonight isn't normal. Azulon's — wait, no — Ozai's guards were already storming through the capital.

Zuko was tired and falling behind. Ursa looked back and rushed over to him. She grabbed his wrist. Her grip was tight, like a vice. She already lost one child tonight. She could not lose another. She pulled him along and urged him to move faster. The entrance to the tunnels wasn't too far away. If they could make it there it would be an easier journey the rest of the way.

Just as Ursa was about to round the last corner, her blood froze. She could hear the quiet clank of armor. She turned to Zuko and held a finger to her painted lips before peeking around the edge of the building. Mumbling a few obscenities under her breath, she leaned against the wall. She needed a moment to think. Of course he would send guards to the catacombs. She is the one who showed him the maps. They needed a way out of the city. They just needed to get to the docks.

She reached into her pocket and felt around. Just like Iroh had promised, it was there. Grabbing Zuko's hand, gently this time, she carefully led them away from the entrance to the tunnels. More and more people were woken up by the soldiers in the streets. This was their last hope. Ursa weaved herself and Zuko through the alleyways before coming to a stop at the entrance of a small dive bar. This had to work.

She took a deep breath and walked in. The smell of alcohol and smoke was almost strong enough to make her gag.  _Stay calm, Ursa. Don't draw attention to yourself._  She gave Zuko's hand a reassuring squeeze before approaching an older man that sat in the corner. He was quite scrawny, almost bald, and even missing a few teeth. He sat at a table that had a single weathered Pai Sho board upon it.

"Would you like to play, miss?" The old man looked up at her curiously. Ursa managed a small nod and sat across from him.

_Deep breaths. Just do what Iroh taught you._

Carefully, she placed down a single tile. The man placed one down moments later and looked at her. Both of them were silent and simply took their turns as Zuko watched in awe. He never knew that mom was so good at Pai Sho! After what felt like hours of watching his mother play, the tiles outlined the board in the shape of a lotus flower.

"Ah, so close," the old man smiled, "too bad. Better luck next time."

"I'm not quite done yet, sir." Ursa glanced at him and reached into her sleeve, pulling out a single tile. She eyed the board closely before setting the tile in the center. Her hand lingered on the piece for a few seconds before retreating. She eyed the man carefully. He looked at her and then at the board. There, in the center or the board, sat the white lotus tile. His expression and posture changed as he stood.

"Come with me."

Ursa obeyed and followed him. He led them into the back of the store and out into a much older, less busy, part of the Caldera. The houses were run-down and the stench that filled the air made her stomach turn. Zuko's face twisted and he pulled his shirt over his nose. So much for the prosperous Fire Nation. Trying to ignore the offensive odors the surrounded them, Zuko and Ursa followed the man as he took them to the docks.

The fast-paced beating of her heart got slower and slower as they gained more distance between themselves and the city. The sound of the surf crashing against the rocks sounded more powerful with every step. She looked out at the ocean. The night made the water look black and bottomless. There was no moon tonight. They kept walking along the docks and, eventually, they came upon a small wooden vessel. Although it it looked quite cramped, it would have to do.

The ship had a small cabin and a hatch that led below deck. Water lapped at the sides of the ship, gently rocking it. She watched the boat curiously and blinked as a cloaked figure made itself known on the deck. Her heart sped up again and she clutched Zuko's hand tightly. Had they been caught? Who was that? Thousands of thoughts raced through her head and she just wanted to run but, against her better judgement, she kept moving forward.

Slow and carefully she boarded the ship. The figure reached for its hood. Her heart was pounding so hard it nearly hurt. Slowly, the hood fell.

"Iroh!" She hit him lightly. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Uncle!" Zuko ran over to Iroh and hugged him.

"I'm sorry," he chuckled and smiled at her and Zuko. "I thought it would be much more comforting to see a familiar face on this journey."

Not too long after they boarded had Iroh and another member of The White Lotus had managed to get the ship sailing. Ursa stood on the deck long after everyone else had retreated below deck to try and rest. She looked at the silhouette of the palace she called home for so many years. She and Zuko were free, but her heart stung with guilt at the thought of Azula. Directing her gaze down at the water, she couldn't help but notice the ripples left in the ship's wake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you for reading! Please tell me what you think of the story so far! All or your guys' reviews are so inspiring!


	3. Tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years have passed since Ursa and Zuko's departure and Azula is struggling under the pressures of being the crown princess. After a perplexing confrontation with her Uncle she decides to partake in one if his odd lessons.

Chapter Two: Tea

It had been two years after Ursa took Zuko. Without Zuko to take some of the attention away from her, Azula’s knees were buckling under the pressure Ozai had placed on her shoulders. No mistakes, no accidents, no nonsense. Ozai accepted nothing but perfection from the, newly titled, crown princess. Although she already excelled at most of her duties, Ozai kept asking for more. He kept pushing her further. 

“Again!”

Azula ran through her forms for the tenth time that afternoon. Her body was shaking with exhaustion as Ozai drilled her. She stepped with the last move for her kata. Her strike landed higher than it should have.

“Almost perfect, Azula.” Ozai nodded and stared down at her. She stood straight, not daring to move. “Almost isn’t good enough. Again!”

Sweat dripped down her...everywhere as she began her forms again. 

“Fire Lord Ozai!” Her father’s bumbling advisor, Sheng, came in. “We’ve received word back from the new colonies.” Ozai’s lip curled in annoyance at the interruption. Noticing this, Sheng was quick to continue. “The soldiers are facing a lot of opposition from the peasants, your highness, the council is requesting a meeting to discuss solutions.” Understandably, the poor man was shaking; no one wants to be at the receiving end of Ozai’s temper.

“Very well.” Ozai frowned and turned to the exhausted child in the middle of the room. “Azula! You are dismissed. We will continue our training tomorrow after you meet with your tutors.”

“Thank you, Father.” Azula obediently bowed to her father before leaving.

____________________________________________________________

“Princess Azula,” Iroh smiled as she passed him in the hall, “how would you like to join me for a nice relaxing cup of ginseng tea? Perhaps we could play a calming game of Pai Sho.”

“I do not have time for you cryptic lessons, Uncle. I need to train.” Azula rolled her eyes at him. She was frustrated. She didn’t have time for tea! She needed to train and study; she needed to be the perfect example of a crown princess! She absolutely could not take time away from her lessons just to play board games with her old, fuddy duddy uncle. Her face screwed up; just the thought of it was absurd.

“Everyone needs time to rest, Azula.” He was very patient with her. Matching her intensity would only cause conflict. “Even the earth can crumble with too much weathering.”

“Then I suppose it is a good thing that I am, quite obviously, not an earthbender.” Azula’s arms were crossed defensively.

“You excel in the physical aspect of firebending, Azula, but you lack spirituality. Without spirit fire lacks life.” How dare he criticize her fire! She could practically feel smoke coming out of her ears. “If you are so eager to become stronger, I suggest following me.” Without waiting for a response, Iroh turned and left. 

Dumbfounded, Azula simply stood there. Did he seriously think she was going to follow him? The old fool was crazier than previously imagined. Even though Iroh had spoken nonsense, Azula was the one left staring dumbly at the ground. A princess should never be taken by surprise! This absolutely could not happen again. She needed to find out more about, the former, General Iroh’s ways; how he could so easily stupefy her. The only way to do that was to follow him. She looked at her reflection on the marble floor and let her face twist in disgust once more before trailing after the Dragon of the West.  
___________________________________________________________________

Iroh sat at the turtleduck pond and Azula sat across from him. He was calm, patient, and relaxed. Azula, on the other hand, was restless. Why were they just sitting there doing absolutely nothing. Sensing her feelings, Iroh spoke up. “I am going to teach you how to breath, Azula.”

What.

Iroh could have sworn that he saw actual steam come out of her ears.

“I already know how to breathe!” Azula stood up and clenched her fists at her sides. She felt absolutely insulted. Did he honestly think so... so lowly of her? She was trying to be civil, but this man, this crazy old geezer, had a way of just burning away her patience.

Sensing this, Iroh put up his hands innocently. “I didn’t mean to insult you, Azula.” He chuckled lightly. The princess’ temper was quite amusing to him. It reminded him of his own late son during his young teenage years. “Please sit down so I can explain.”

She crossed her arms and sat down with a huff. This had better be worth all the time and humiliation. “Please, Uncle, explain how to breathe. It is not as if already doing it or anything.” She tried bit bite back that quip. Honestly, she did.

“Fire comes from the breath, Azula. You may know how to breathe for survival, but breathing to firebend is much different.”

“And? What am I supposed to do? Breathe more?”

“No,” Iroh laughed. “Well, yes, actually. In a sense. I am going to teach you how to breathe more efficiently. We are going to meditate.”

“So we are going to sit and do nothing.”

“No, not ‘nothing’.” He shook his head. “Meditating.” 

All this got was a skeptical eye roll from his niece and for a moment he wondered if this was really worth the trouble.

“Meditation can help you become a more powerful firebender as well as a stronger person. You are still young, but you are a very smart girl.”

Azula nodded, pleased with the praise from her uncle.

“I want to help you find who you are and I want you to reach your full potential.” 

She watched him skeptically. The only person that ever cared for he was her father. What could her uncle offer that Ozai couldn’t? After hundreds of thoughts ran through her head, she conceded. “Fine.”

Iroh nodded pleasantly. “Very good,” he smiled. “Now, close your eyes.”

Azula obeyed.

“Take in a deep breath. You want to completely fill your lungs. Feel that air fuel your inner fire.

Iroh’s gaze was soft on his niece. Ozai’s influence already weighed heavily on her shoulders. It would be very difficult to get through with her but this interaction provided him with a renewed hope. Her breathing was slow, her thoughts were slowing down, and for the first time since her mother left... She felt at peace.

____________________________________________________________

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Please review and provide any feedback positive or negative!


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